DANISH TOY MAKER

SALES of Lego dinosaurs and a Bugatti sports car helped Danish toymaker stabilise revenue in the first half of this year after a drop in 2017 for the first time in more than a decade.

The privately-owned firm, famous for its colourful plastic bricks, pushed the 'reset button' last year, acknowledging its business had grown too complicated.

Its attempts to recover have been hampered by the bankruptcy of the biggest US toy-store chain Toys' R Us, but demand for new products such as the dinosaur-themed Jurassic World ranged helped to steady revenue in the first six months of the year.

''I am satisfied, because we set out to stabalise growth this year and we have already done it during the first half,'' Chief Executive Niels B. Christiansen told Reuters.

Overall, consumer sales grew 1 percent during the half, while revenue was flat in constant currencies and fell 5 percent in Danish crowns to 14.3 billion crowns [1.7 billion pounds] a far cry from the 25 percent growth achieved in 2015.

The fastest-growing ranges were the advanced Technic series, the warrior themed Ninjago, the  Creator range that can be built into several designs, and the Classic series.

Successful innovation is crucial to Lego, as 60 percent of its portfolio consists of new products each year.

Sales in Western Europe grew in the low-single digits, measured in constant currencies, while North America declined slightly, China remained a bright spot with double-digit growth, although it accounts for less than 10 percent of group sales. [Agencies]